1976 clearance sale of T205 and T206

[trdcrdkid]

In the same issue of Sports Collectors Digest where Bill Mastro was selling a T206 set minus Wagner, Plank, and Magie (9/15/76), another guy named Max F. Brunswick had a full-page ad selling individual T205s and T206s. He was selling them by condition -- EX for $1.50, VG for $1.25, GD for $1.00, FR for 50 cents, subtract 50 cents for creases or scratches, add 50 cents for minor leaguers. Hall of Famers were twice the price of a common of the same grade; I don't know if top-tier HOFers like Cobb, Young, WaJo or Matty would have been more, because he didn't have any of those for sale. Poor Elmer Flick, who had been in the HOF since 1963, was treated as a common, as was Bobby Wallace. But Hal Chase was treated as a HOFer (much as he is today), as was Nap Rucker! Brunswick makes no mention of backs and apparently didn't care about them, but I have to think that in all these cards there were probably a few tougher backs.

[Leon]

The collecting of different backs on cards, as opposed to regular type card collecting, is a relatively new collecting niche. Most old timers could care less about the backs of cards. Many collected cards by front only...with all kinds of ACC# cards included.

[The Nasty Nati]

Rucker is a very underrated player IMO...some of the prettiest cards in the set too.

[trdcrdkid]

Yeah, Rucker was very good for his first 7 years, before his arm gave out. He led the NL in WAR in 1911 and 1912. Not good enough to be in the HOF (though he might have been if he had extended his productive period for another 5-7 years, but I agree that he's underrated.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Postage would have killed you in those days!

[tiger8mush]

very neat, thanks for sharing!

[sreader3]

Thanks for sharing. Realizing this is anecdotal, a few thoughts:

1. Star players have outperformed common players.

(2X then versus 3X or much higher now).

2. Higher conditioned cards have outperformed lower conditioned cards.

($1.50 EX v. $1.25 VG v. $1.00 GD then v. $100 EX v. $40 VG v. $30 GD now -- yes, of course, condition of raw cards was/is in the eye of the beholder, now we have TP grading, yadda yadda)

3. It must have taken a very long time to have typed that inventory list!